A former Italian restaurant by Cambridge’s iconic Mill Pond has been transformed in just eight-weeks into a "eclectic, modern brasserie” – complete with a working water wheel.

Building work to convert the former Bella Italia into Millworks started in the middle of August and it opened its doors just over a week ago.

Cocktails are on offer on the drinks menu (Image: Warren Gunn)

The new restaurant is the seventh in the Cambs Cuisine portfolio, which also owns popular eateries including The Cambridge Chop House, Smokeworks and The Cock at Hemingford Grey.

Serving brunch, lunch and dinner, the restaurant offer brunch-style food and lots of meat-based dishes along with fish and sharing plates.

The restaurant has an industrial feel with exposed brickwork. (Image: Warren Gunn)

Housing 130 covers, the restaurant even have an indoor barbecue called Mortimer – named after a previous owner.

Oliver Thain, co-owner of Cambs Cuisine, said since opening last Tuesday, the restaurant has gone down well with customers.

“It’s been really positive,” he told the News. “We had a biggest opening of any of our restaurants in terms of sales by some stretch.

The restaurant seats 130 covers. (Image: Warren Gunn)

“We’ve had really positive feedback. We’re really happy with the place, the building, the menus. It will develop and will change and will grow and we will listen to customers but as a start, we’re really chuffed.”

The restaurant has an industrial feel to it with exposed brickwork and as a nod to the building’s past, a new working water wheel.

As diners tuck into their food, the water wheel turns. (Image: Warren Gunn)

As well an extensive cocktail and wine list and local beers, the restaurant also offers Hot Numbers Coffee.

The Water Mill has an intriguing history – before Bella Italia took it over about 16 years ago, it was the home of popular family-run pizza restaurant Sweeney Todd's since the mid-1980s, remembered for its 'Rupture Rapture' dessert – now on Millworks menu.

After delving into the history of the building, its new owners found Newnham Mill has had a few notable owners including the Mortimer family in the early 12th century.

Millworks offers 'brunch-style' food (Image: Warren Gunn)

It was rebuilt in 1853 following a fire which destroyed the mill and its contents, including 1,400 quarters of corn.

Over the years the mill has also housed the factory of the London Instrument Co, which was owned by engineer Henry Rottenburg who is credited with developing the prototype for the modern starting blocks used by sprinters which first appeared at the London Olympics in 1948.

“It’s got a huge amount of history,” added Oliver. “We’ve got the starting blocks up around the place, it’s a proper nod to its history.”